This invention relates generally to cryogenic fluids and, more specifically, to measuring a mass flow rate of a cryogenic fluid.
A cryogenic fluid is a liquefied gas, such as oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, methane, helium and/or acetylene, which has a temperature below about −150° F. Measuring a mass flow rate of a cryogenic fluid in a cryogenic fluid stream is difficult due to certain system requirements and/or limitations. For example, when measuring the mass flow rate of the cryogenic fluid, it is necessary to prevent or limit thermal leakage from the relatively warmer environment or surroundings, typically at “room temperature,” to the relatively colder cryogenic fluid stream. Further, it is desirable to limit an exposure of the measuring device to the flow of the cryogenic fluid stream to facilitate preventing or limiting interference with and/or disruption of the flow due to the dimensional configuration of the measuring device.